Railroad-gauge bridle



INVENTOR,

. mm 3m 3% m a 2d wu m4 ATTORNEY.

C. D. BALDWIN RAILROAD GAUGE BRIDLE Nov. 19. 1929.

Filed July 14. 1928 Qllll throughout.

Patented Nov. 19, 1929 CLARENCE D. LDWIN, or

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RAILROAD-GAUGE BRIDLE v Appl ication filed July 14,

My invention relates to improvements in railroad-gauge bridlesand has .for an object to provide a rail-road gauge bridle which will be eflective in maintaining the railroad-gauge 5 andyet may be quickly:installed'and rem ve 1 Another object of my improvement is to provide a railroad-gauge bridle which is adjustable without removing the rail fastenings to'the bridle, 1 I j i Another ObjBCt-g-Qf my improvement isto provide a simple railroad-gauge bridle which may be installed, removed or adjusted by unskilled operatives. I f 7 further. object of'my improvement is to provide adjustable railroad-gauge retaining means of simple design, notlikely to become disorganized and of reasonable cost of con- 'struction.

p Ot r bjects of my improvement, will a pear as the description proceeds.

Ii'attain these and other iob'ects of'my improvement with the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Figure 1 is a segregated portion of a railroad track with one of my gauge bridlesin place thereon, Fig. 2 is an elevation of'Fig. 1 in section on line 22, Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the retaining sleeve, Fig. 4: is an end 3 elevation of the clamping sleeve and Fig. 5

is an end elevation of the eye clamp.

Similar characters refer to similar parts With more particular reference to the designated parts: 7

Two similar bars 8 and 9 are each provided with a hook 10 on one end and a toothed rack 11 on one side at the other end thereof. Bars 8 and 9 are disposed across the track with their hook ends beneath the rails and engaged with the outer edges of the rail flanges and with their inner ends overlapping in the middle of the track and the racks 11 engaged. There are three rails shown, track rails 6, 6 and guard rail 7 Bar hooks 10, 10 are engaged with the outer edges of the flanges of rails 6, 6. The inner end of. bar 8 is downward and its rack 11 is on the upper side thereof, while the inner end of bar 9 is upward and has its rack 11 on the underside 'theflange of rail 6 and said opening is below 1928. Serial No. 292,756.

' with lug a overlying the inner edge of the flange of rail 6 at the-left. Opening 12 through bar 9 is disposed-adjacent the inner end of clamping sleeve 15 and key 16 is extended therethrough to bear against the said inner end of the sleeve. Preferably the inner edge of key 16 is tapering as is also the inner side wall of opening 12 and key 16 forces hook 10 and lug a inclose-engagement with the flange of saidraih Key 16 is preferably provided with tail 17 and an opening through its lower end which protrudes below the bar through which cotter pin 18 is extended to re- 15 tain the-pin in the bar. I Eye clamp 19has head a? with beveled bottom and opening 20 through which is extended bar'8 when said head is caused to bear on the adjacent edgeof the bottoms of said rail flanges. BarS is then extended through opening Z2 ,in the other sleeve clamp which is placed next the inner edge of the flange of guard rail 7with inclined 111 a bearing on theftop'side of said flange. Opening 13 through bar 8 is disposed adjacent the inner end of clamp sleeve 15 when the outer end thereof bears against the flange of rail 7 and the other key 16 is extended through said opening to force said sleeve 15 against the flange of rail 7 the outer'edge of the flange of right hand rail 6 in close engagement with the hook 10 on bar 8 and the opposite edges of the flanges of rails 6 and .7 against the beveled under side of'head at? of the eye clamp. To promote this clamping effect the inner edge wall of hole 13 is tapered to correspond with the taper of key 16 there in. This key 16 is-also provided with-a tail l7 and has an opening through its lower end which protrudes beneath the bar and has a cotter pin 18 extended therethrough.

It not infrequently happens that my bridle .will be used across a portion of the track -where no guardrail is employed. In that case the sleeve on bar 8 is set against the inner edge of the flange of right-hand rail 6 and the key is extended through hole 12 through bar 8.

Sleeve 21 is rectangular with either the bottom or top wall extended at one end andhas an opening 25 through said extended end 22. Rib 23 is provided across the inside wall at the end opposite 22. 5 Bar 9 is extended through sleeve 21 entering the" end having rib 23 therein and, when the racks 11, 11 are engaged, sleeve 21 is passed over the overlapping inner ends of bars 8 and 9 to retain said toothed racks in engagement. Opening 25 in end 22 of the sleeve is made to register with hole 14 through bar 8 and the sleeve 21 is secured inplace by extending pin 26 through said holes 14 and 25. Pin 26 preferably has tail 27 onits up- 25 per end' and a hole through its lower end which protrudes beneath the sleeve 5 and through which is extended cotter pin 28.

Rib 23 is placed tobear againstthe end of 1 bar 8 when-holes 25 and 14: register. Sleeve 30 21 may also be used when inverted and turned end for end; In this case rib 23 would bear against the end" of bar 9 and hole 25 in the sleeve would register with a similarly placed hole 14 in bar9' and pin 26 would be extended through the sleeve wall and through bar 9.

T To adjust the gauge of rails 6'; 6 sleeve 21 is released from engagement by pin 26 and moved in either direction on the bars till they may be se'parated'and reengaged by racks o 11, 11 in the desired new setting when sleeve 21 may be returned to its operative posit-ion to' retain said bar ends in engagement.

Bars 8 and 9 may be disengaged from the I rails when their inner ends are free by re sleeves 15, 15 and eye clamp 19 out ofengagement with the flanges of said rails? Bars 8 and 9' are made strong enough to resist the thrusts of operation as well as the tension strains thereof.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. Ina rail-road gauge bridle, two barswith overlapping'ends disposed across the track beneath the rails thereof, ahook on each of the outer ends of said bars engaged with the outer edge of the flange of one of said rails, a sleeve clamp reciprocal on each of 60 said bars adjacent the inner, edge of the flange of one ofsaid rails, a lug on the outer end of each of said sleeve clamps to bear on the top of said inner edge of one of said rail flanges, a keyext'en-ded through each of said bars adj'acentthe inner end of the clamp moving keys16, '16, and moving clamping sleeve thereon to bear against the same, and V i 6 means to retain said overlapping bar ends in positive engagement in adjustable positions.

2. In a rail-road gauge bridle, two bars with overlapping ends disposed across the track beneath two track rails; and a guard rail adjacent one of said track rails, a hook on the outer end of each of said bars engaged with the outer edge of the flangeof each of said track rails, an eye clamp'between said guard rail and said track rail adjacent thereto with its head bearing on the adjacent flange e'dges'thereof and its body therebetween with its eye projecting beneath and having one of said bars extended theretjhroagh, a Clamp sleeve reciprocally engaged on said one bar with its outer end bearing on the inner edge g of the flange of said guard rail, a lug on. the outer end of said sleeve clamp bearing on top of said guard-rail flange, a key extended througha hole in said one bar adjacent the s I inner'end of said sleeve clamp to" bear thereagainst, another sleeve clamp reciprocal on said other bar with its outer end a d'jaeentthe' inner edge of the flange of said other track rail, a lug on the. outer endofsaid other, sleeve clamp to bear on top 015 said other track rail flange, a key extended through a hole in said other bar to bear againstthe inner end of said other sleeve clamp,. said. over lapping ends of said bars having engageable racks on the adjacent sides. thereof, a deem reciprocal over said overlapping bar' and apin'extended through one of the walls of said sleeve and one of saidbars.

CLARENCE D. BALDWIN.

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